fourth stop: Switzerland

We started our Swiss journey in Zurich. A popular part of Switzerland. When we were coming out of the airport it was quite hot. Not what you would imagine going up the mountains. Throughout the day it got hotter and hotter. Then the afternoon came, and it finally cooled down. Perfect for a swim.

 For me most of my time in Zurich was swimming and sleeping. There was a big lake about 15 minute walk down from where we were staying. The lake had a big slide that went into a little freshwater pool. There was also 3 diving platforms of differing heights. The highest was about 3 metres up. doesn’t sound that high but when you get up there it feels a lot worse than it sounds.

Next we went to Neuchatel, to which we had to take a 2 hour train ride from Zurich. The train was quite packed because everyone was going to the mountains to escape the heat. If I’m being honest it wasn’t much different. Still hot, sweaty and humid but luckily there was another lake to cool us down. We met with one of my dad’s friends, who met us at the station and took us to our AirBnb. It wasn’t far from the station but down a big hill. My dad’s friend, Jeremie, was in Neuchatel with his family. He was with his wife and 3 kids, 2 sons and 1 daughter, who we met when we went to the lake. There was a big gathering at the lake with some of Jeremie’s work colleages. In Switzerland they don’t have an offical Swiss language, but they have borrowed languages from other countries, which include French, Italian and Swiss German. Jeremie’s family spoke French because they came from the French speaking part of Switzerland.

Our last stop in Switzerland was Grindelwald or, as some people know it, the Swiss Alps. It’s a lot cooler once you get up the mountains. My mum, dad and I went on a walk up the mountains but, my dad didn’t take into account that I had a sprained ankle so it only got worse. Thanks dad! Other than the agonising pain in my left foot, the views were alright. Walking up the mountains all you could hear were cow bells, which I found annoying. It was meant to be about a 2 hour walk which turned into 4 because my ankle and it was mostly uphill. Once we got halfway there was a restaurant with a really cool view of the glaciers. We were meant to go another 2 hours but we knew it would be another 4. My mum and I took the bus home but dad continued. On the bus back I FaceTimed Central, my youth group in Sydney, which put a smile on my face. Next stop: Barcelona, Spain